


Birthdays are Important

by whythursdaynext



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF AND HAPPY TIMES, Fluff, Gen, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TWINSEYS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-07-10 20:42:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7005634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whythursdaynext/pseuds/whythursdaynext
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the twins' birthday, and they're going to celebrate properly, even if the world is falling down around their heads.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Birthdays are Important

**Author's Note:**

> In honor of Liam and Laura’s day of birth, a Double Drabble for the twins!
> 
> HA HA HA HA LMAO so that was a lie, I thought this was going to be 200 words but it turned into 1700 with Percy and Keyleth cameos and I’m so sorry but at least it’s fluffy? 
> 
> Happy birthday to my favorite angst stealth twins!

With the way this year had been going, with the trouble with Percival and the damned dragons and the constant running, Vax realized that his birthday had caught up to him without him being aware of it. It wasn’t as though it was a big deal to him necessarily, but it was the day he and his sister always celebrated together, because it was theirs. It was the only time a year his sister spent money without wincing at every gold coin that left her fingers, and this year they were hunkered down in the middle of nowhere, not sure if they’d live to see the end of the week.

He sighed. He had to get her something, they couldn’t ignore their birthday, not with death imminent, but what could he get in a ruined town that would give the occasion enough importance? There were no shiny sparkly things left, the looters and the dragon had taken them all. There was no nobles left for his tricky little thief fingers to steal from, he’d sworn he’d given that up, but for Vex he would steal again, he’d do anything for Vex. 

He sighed again. Anything for Vex meant that he would have to ask for help on this one. He might have nothing more than a few daggers, but the magic users here might be able to create something. Or Percy. He hesitated a little at that. Vex had said she wasn’t angry, but something felt like it would be tainting the present to have it pass through Percy’s hands. Keyleth then, he’d ask Keyleth. 

They were enclosed in the safety of Scanlan’s magical mansion again, and Vax paced its halls nervously, still not fully trusting of magical structures after the last incident. He’d thought he’d heard Keyleth mention that she’d be in the library again, so he wandered there. 

 

Vex found Percy in his workshop, exactly where she’d hoped he be. 

“Percy, darling-” 

Percy didn’t look up from the bits of metal he was bending. “Vex’ahlia, you only call people ‘darling’ when you want something from them, so cut to the chase, I’m very busy.” 

Vex  _ glared _ at his back. “Percival Fredsrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III, you owe me. And I am calling in the favor now.” 

Percy froze at the sound of his full name. He gently set down the piece he’d been working on, and turned to face her, eyes wary. “What do you need then?” 

She shoved a piece of paper with an extremely amateurish sketch in front of him. “I need you to make this for me. It’s our birthday in two days, and with the chaos of the past months, I haven’t had the time to get Vax anything, and it’s important that we do this, understand?” 

Percy nodded slowly and took the paper from her, frowning as he tried to decipher the mess of lines and notations. 

The pause gave her enough time to look at what Percy had been working on before she’d come in. It looked an awful lot like the springs to the dragon trap they’d used last time, and suddenly the twin’s birthday didn’t seem as important, the reality of their lives right now crashing in. She hadn’t been forgetful this year, really, she’d just been too busy handling dragons and nearly dying. Actually dying that one time. Maybe it was a little frivolous of her to be worried about birthdays in the middle of the end of the world. 

Percy sighed deeply and laid the paper on the workshop table. “It took me a moment, but I believe I can put this together rather quickly, if I understood what you… scrawled here.” 

Vex reached for it again. “You know, if you’re too busy making ammunition or giant dragon traps or something else, it’s probably not that important, I can figure something out…” 

Percy laid his hand on her wrist. “It’s all right, Vex’ahlia. It’s not a large or insanely difficult request.” 

She frowned at his hand, wondering why its heat seemed to have spread throughout her entire body. “Oh, alright then. I’ll just… I’ll just leave you to it.” She withdrew her hand reluctantly. 

“One more thing, Vex,” Percy said, eyes serious. “You may not want to mention that this came from me. Your brother isn’t particularly fond of me these days.” 

“He needs to get over that,” Vex said, “It’s not like I died.” 

Percy looked at the floor. 

“I didn’t stay permanently dead, and that’s what matters really, right? It all worked out.” 

“As someone who’s lost family before,” Percy said quietly, “I feel like your brother is showing a great deal of restraint.” 

Vex went quiet, remembering the shadows under Percy’s eyes, his manic laughter, and the dark shadow that had nearly taken him over. She also remembered watching Vax tear apart enemies with his daggers, and stopped herself from wondering what he would have been like if she had died there, because it would have been bad. 

“Thanks Percy,” she said, deciding it was definitely time to go. “Let me know when it’s finished.” 

 

Vax had been walking quietly so to avoid his sister’s attention, but he forgot to walk normally when he reached the library, and so Keyleth jumped about a mile when he finally said “Hi.” 

“Vax!” She said, just managing to save herself and her book from falling off the chair. “Hi.” 

He smiled in spite of his bad mood, in spite of all the bad things happening outside. Keyleth always brought sunshine. It should have been scary, as someone who lived his life in the shadows, but Keyleth made it welcoming instead of exposing. 

“Hey, I have a favor to ask you,” Vax said, settling into the chair next to her. “Do you think you could help me with a present for Vex?” 

“Of course,” Keyleth said, “What for?” 

“It’s our birthday in two days.” 

Keyleth sat upright in her chair, this time dropping the book on the floor. “Your birthday!” She said, seemingly oblivious. “I’d completely forgotten, we’re going to have to celebrate somehow.” 

Vax picked the book off the floor, straightened the bent pages, and set it gently on the table between their armchairs. “You really don’t, it’s no bother, and who knows what kind of shit we’ll be in then anyway. I just need to make sure I have a gift.” 

Keyleth settled, seeming a little disappointed. “Okay then, just a gift for Vex.” 

Vax nodded. “I was thinking maybe something for Trinket? Because you’re a druid, and it’s hard to come by the shiny out here, and she’s already got herself a broom…” 

“And she loves Trinket.” Keyleth finished his sentence. “I might have an idea then, if it’s a Trinket thing.” 

He looked at her expectantly.

“Remember when Zahra cast that spell and talked to him? I think I can do that too, I mean, I know I can do that, it’s just been a while.” 

Vax jumped out of his chair and kissed her. “Keyleth, that’s perfect.”

She blushed. “Thanks.” 

Vax grinned at her. “I have to find someway to wrap that,” he said, “I’ll see you in the morning, Kiki.” 

And he turned and left. 

“Well,” Keyleth said to her book, “At least he mentioned he was leaving before he left this time.” 

 

Two mornings later, Vex pulled her brother aside before they went in for breakfast. They were gearing up for another long journey, possibly some nasty fighting. It was better to give him this now. “Vax,” she said, handing him a package wrapped in one of the last fancy robes in the bag of holding. (Grog had been very confused when she said she needed it, but had let her get it out anyway.) “Happy Birthday, brother.” 

Vax smiled and took it from her, unwrapping it meticulously, realizing probably that they might need that scrap for something in the future. 

In it lay a cloak pin. The outer circle waved and had a slightly larger round bit, reminiscent of a snake wrapped around itself. Three miniature dagger hilts poked out of the sides. 

Vax stared at it silently for a few moments. He finally picked it up and pinned it to his cloak. 

“Thanks, Stubby,” he said pulling her in for a hug. “It’s perfect.” 

Vex grinned into his shoulder for a second, then pulled away, remembering that it was her birthday too. “Oh, alright then, what’ve you gotten me then?” 

“Oh, you know, what with everything that’s been going on, I forgot.” Vax said. 

Vex’s mouth opened to talk. 

“Just kidding, kidding, Stumpy, come on into breakfast, you’ll see.” 

Vax pulled her into the breakfast room. He’d told Keyleth to wait there and do her druid magic thing as soon as he gave her the card, but the whole of Vox Machina was there, standing around a cake, which looked to not have been made from chicken miraculously. 

“Happy Birthday!” They all said, as the twins entered the room. Vex smiled and ran for the cake. “Actual cake! You didn’t!” 

Vex nodded his thanks to Keyleth, probably the originator of this, and stepped up beside his sister. “And we haven’t even gotten to your present yet.” 

“We haven’t?” Vex said, more excited than she’d been since she’d flown on her broom for the first time. 

Vex handed her a scrap of paper. “Read it.” 

She frowned at his untidy handwriting. “‘Say hi to Trinket’. What does this even mean, Vax, honestly-”

A deep slow voice from behind her growled, “Hi Mother.” 

“TRINKET!” Vex’ahlia screeched and turned to embrace her bear. “Mommy can understand you!” 

Vax moved away from his sister’s excited babbling, and towards Keyleth, who was smiling over at Vex while Pike cut cake and Grog nearly destroyed it trying to reach for a slice. 

“How long does this last?” He whispered to Keyleth. 

“About ten minutes before it fades. I could make it go longer-”

Vax smiled and shook his head. “Ten minutes is perfect, save your energy for later.” 

“Okay,” Keyleth said, and then reached around him for a hug. “Happy Birthday, Vax.” 

They were probably going to die this afternoon, but it really was a happy birthday. 


End file.
